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The Sunday Craftsman House Tour is Craftsman Weekend’s signature event, featuring fine examples of the beautiful Craftsman architecture that makes Pasadena the destination for Arts & Crafts enthusiasts from across the country. This year we are partnering with the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation and touring four houses in the Buena Vista Neighborhood. The tour includes three Greene and Greene-designed homes, two in South Pasadena and one in Pasadena.
A tour highlight is the iconic Duncan-Irwin House designed by Charles and Henry Greene. This house was originally built for Katherine Duncan in 1901 and it was redesigned in 1906 by Greene and Greene for Theodore Irwin, thus the name Duncan-Irwin House. The 1906 remodel reflects the Greene brothers’ mature Craftsman style. Though built over several years, the home has a completeness of design and unity of spirit that make it one of the Greene’s masterworks. It is currently furnished with museum-quality items from Revival Antiques, giving the home an authentic Craftsman warmth and charm.
Two other Greene and Greene homes are on the tour. The Howard Longley House is one of the earliest surviving examples of Charles and Henry Greene’s designs. It is a transitional house that shows their evolution to develop a style appropriate to Southern California. Hints of the future Greene & Greene designs, characterized by strong horizontal lines, studious attention to detail and Asian influences are evident.
The living and dining rooms as redone by the Greenes in 1910 are closely related to the firm’s mature style. Next door to the Longley House is the Garfield House built in 1904 by Charles and Henry Greene for Lucretia Garfield, widow of James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States. Designated a South Pasadena landmark in 1972 and listed a year later on the National Register of Historic Places, the Chalet Craftsman home for Mrs. Garfield represents a key phase in the development of the Greene’s design vocabulary for their Craftsman masterpieces built a few years later. This is an exterior tour only.
Also included on the tour is the Ide House, designed by D. M. Renton in 1913. The noted design-build firm of David M. Renton created this sophisticated Craftsman Bungalow located in the Orange Heights Historic District. Before opening his own office, D. M. Renton spent a short time working for Charles and Henry Greene and some of their design influences are seen throughout the house. Renton designed more Arts and Crafts houses than any other firm in Pasadena. Seventeen of his buildings are in the Orange Heights District, making it the largest collection of his buildings in the city.
Not to be missed on the tour is the Childs-Torrance House, a well-known South Pasadena Landmark located in the Buena Vista Historic District. The home was designed by Pasadena architect Charles Wesley Buchanan, who opened his office in the early 1890s and is considered to be one of the definers of the Pasadena Craftsman style. The three-story Tudor Revival House built in 1904 is a popular location for the filming industry, so guests may recognize parts of the house from their favorite television shows.
Get a fresh take on a new design! A Craftsman Make-Over House is a delightful property that evolved from an “outbuilding” on a portion of the large estate formerly connected to 1120 Buena Vista Street. Early research on this home indicates that the building is from as early as 1904, however, recent research indicates that it may not have appeared until 1910. It is clear that it was a residence by 1930, and the current owners have returned the home’s ambience to its original period. They have developed the enchanting landscaping during the course of their 25 years living here.
The Craftsman Movement The City of Pasadena is home to some of the most notable examples of the Craftsman Movement on the West Coast. Also known as the American Arts and Crafts Movement, the architectural style emerged in the early 1900’s.
Tracing its roots to England, Craftsmen design has nevertheless developed a unique and internationally lauded aesthetic in Pasadena, with the work of architects Charles and Henry Greene, tile maker Ernest Batchelder, and writer/photographer Helen Lukens Gaut, among others.
Ticket Information: For tickets and information, visit our website: www.pasadenaheritage.org/CraftsmanWeekend or contact us at:
Pasadena Heritage, 651 South St. John Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105,
Tel: 626.441.6333.
About Pasadena Heritage and South Pasadena Preservation Foundation
Pasadena Heritage is a nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation in and around Pasadena, California.
The organization advocates on behalf of historic resources, educates the public about local history and the benefits of preservation, and demonstrates quality restoration through its own preservation projects. Its 2,000-plus members are drawn from Pasadena and neighboring communities, and throughout Southern California.
The South Pasadena Preservation Foundation SPPF began as the Cultural Heritage Committee of the community improvement organization South Pasadena Beautiful in 1970. It was renamed the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation in 1984. The mission of the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation is to foster awareness and appreciation of the historic heritage of South Pasadena and to advocate and facilitate preservation of significant examples of that heritage.
